2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twelve of the 14 teams that make up the Atlantic 10 Conference will congregate in Atlantic City for the 2009 A-10 Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, March 11th. On the line is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and competition will be fierce as usual.

The top four seeds have earned a bye to the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Xavier enters as the top seed and the favorite to claim the championship, and the Musketeers may be the league's only team that can feel truly secure about its NCAA Tournament at-large chances if success does not come in this event. Rhode Island, the second seed, is 22-9 overall, while third-seeded Dayton carries a 25-6 record into this event. At 25 wins, the Flyers may have done enough already as well, but don't expect the club to rest on its regular season accomplishments. Fourth-seeded Temple won this tournament a year ago, so that experience could prove invaluable. The Owls have seven A-10 tourney championships to their credit, more than any other current league member, and their 46-19 all-time record at this event is truly impressive. Of the teams seeded five through 12, UMass has the most A-10 Tournament championships with five, although the club hasn't captured the crown since 1996 and is the 10th seed in this year's event. George Washington and Fordham are the only two A-10 teams that will not participate in this four-day event.

The first of four opening-round matchups pits the eighth-seeded La Salle Explorers against the ninth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens. Neither team has ever won this tournament. Saint Louis ranks 13th of 14 A-10 teams in scoring offense at just 62.3 ppg, but the Billikens are the league's top defensive team, limiting foes to 60.6 ppg. They do a tremendous job of guarding against the three-point shot, helping to overshadow the fact that they rank last in the conference in blocked shots and steals. As for La Salle, it relies heavily on the talents of Rodney Green (17.6 ppg), the fifth-leading scorer in the conference. The Explorers are the hottest team in the A-10 right now, as they carry a four-game win streak into this event.

The fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks have struggled over the last month, and they will attempt to avoid an upset against 12th-seeded Charlotte on Wednesday. Saint Joe's has two A-10 Tournament titles to its credit, the most recent of which came back in 1997. The Hawks are led by A-10 Player of the Year Ahmad Nivins, who is tied for the league scoring lead at 19.2 ppg with Temple's Dionte Christmas. Nivins also leads the conference in rebounding with 11.7 rpg and in field goal percentage (.625). As for Charlotte, a relative newcomer to the league, it is still in search of its first crown. Lamont Mack is the team's leading scorer at 15.1 ppg, but his team is second to last in the conference in field goal percentage (.410). The 49ers lost two straight games and four of five to close out the regular season. DiJuan Harris is dishing out 7.1 apg to pace Charlotte and place first in the A-10.

Seventh-seeded Duquesne can score points in bunches, and the Dukes are set to collide with 10th-seeded UMass in the opening round. While UMass has enjoyed plenty of success in this tournament over the years as mentioned above, Duquesne recorded its only A-10 title way back in 1977. The Dukes are second in the league in scoring with 78.1 ppg, but they are also second to last in scoring defense (73.6 ppg). Aaron Jackson is the man to watch, as he is scoring 18.3 ppg while dishing out 5.8 apg to place third in the conference in both categories. UMass is paced by A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Tony Gaffney, who has 113 blocks and 59 steals to his credit, and he is the first player nationally since Duke's Shelden Williams in 2005-06 to register at least 100 blocks and 50 steals in a season. Gaffney is a strong rebounder as well, as he is ripping down 10.2 ppg.

The final opening-round matchup features the sixth-seeded Richmond Spiders and the 11th-seeded St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Neither the Bonnies nor the Spiders have ever won this event. Richmond closed out the regular season with back-to- back wins to improve its seeding, and the team ranks in the middle of the conference pack in both scoring and scoring defense. The Spiders struggle in the rebounding department, but they do lead the league in turnover margin. Kevin Anderson (16.2 ppg) and David Gonzalvez (15.6 ppg) place seventh and eighth, respectively, in the conference in scoring for Richmond. As for St. Bonaventure, it doesn't have a single player who is ranked in the top 20 on the league's scoring chart. The Bonnies are a balanced offensive team, however, and rank sixth in the conference in points per game despite lacking a standout performer. Andrew Nicholson is one of the better players on the roster, and he was recently named the A-10 Rookie of the Year.

The winner of the Saint Louis/La Salle game will take on top-seeded Xavier in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Xavier has four A-10 tourney titles to its credit, the most recent of which occurred in 2006. The Musketeers are 21-9 all-time at this event, impressive to say the least. They lead the conference in scoring margin (+10.1 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.388) and rebounding margin (+8.5 rpg). The Musketeers beat both Saint Louis and La Salle during the regular season. B.J. Raymond and Derrick Brown are scoring 13.8 ppg apiece, as two of the most consistent performers on the XU roster.

Second-seeded Rhode Island will do battle with either UMass or Duquesne in the quarterfinals, and the Rams captured their only A-10 tourney crown back in 1999. URI is the league's top-scoring team, as it is racking up a stellar 80.1 ppg thanks to a league-leading 48.2 percent shooting from the field. The Rams are knocking down 40 percent of their three-point attempts as well, and they are tops among all A-10 teams in assist/turnover ratio. Jimmy Baron paces Rhode Island with his 16.8 ppg, good for sixth place in the league, and he gets plenty of help from both Keith Cothran (14.0 ppg) and Kahiem Seawright (13.8 ppg). Seawright is pulling down 7.4 rpg, placing him fifth in the A-10.

The Third-seeded Dayton Flyers, who won this event for the first and only time back in 2003, will clash with either St. Bonaventure or Richmond on Thursday. Dayton doesn't have a single player ranked in the top 20 in the league in scoring, but the club is yielding just 60.9 ppg and places third in the conference in scoring margin. The Flyers are holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the field, impressive by any standards. No A-10 team grabs more offensive rebounds per game than Dayton, which plays hard and knows how to win close games.

Temple's road to a repeat title begins in the quarterfinals against either Charlotte or Saint Joseph's. At 46-19 all-time in this event, the Owls have plenty of experience and success to draw on. As mentioned above, Dionte Christmas is tied for the A-10 lead in scoring with 19.2 ppg, and he is grabbing 6.1 rpg as well. The Owls closed out the regular season with back-to- back wins and figure to carry plenty of confidence into the tournament. The Owls are second in the league in both free throw percentage and assist/turnover ratio, two areas that suggest strong fundamental play.

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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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